This invention relates in general to refuse receptacles and in particular to ashtrays.
For smokers in public establishments such as bars, restaurants, hotels, conference centers and offices, it is desirable to have available ashtrays which are light weight, safe and easy to handle. For those who own and operate such public establishments the cost and inconvenience of providing and cleaning ashtrays, and the cost of replacing stolen ashtrays frequently inhibit them from providing adequate numbers of ashtrays to meet smokers' needs.
People who enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, and people who travel in vehicles have also experienced the need for safe and convenient ashtrays. It is thus desirable to provide ashtrays that are easy to use, carry and dispose. Collapsible and disposable ashtrays are particularly desirable.
A number of disposable ashtrays have been proposed. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,071,394 Douglas discloses an ashtray which is constructed similar to paperbox construction. A flat piece of material is creased at several places. The end pieces are lapped together and fastened by gluing. When assembled the ashtray is in a shape of a cup with an inverted triangular cross-section. The ashtray has two legs, one on each side to support the ashtray in an upright position. The ashtray may be folded to make a flat assembly and has cut out holes forming rests for cigarettes. In the patent Douglas also disclosed a second embodiment somewhat similar to the one already described but whose leg portions have extensions which are folded across the end of the tray to be interlocked with each other forming a more rigid structure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,364,556 Hurff discloses an ash receiver generally in the shape of a cup with an inverted triangular cross-section. The cup is supported by foldable members on two sides which are in turn supported by a flat base formed by foldable sections. Thus, when the base is folded upwards along the center line the two support members for the cup and the cup itself are all folded into a flat package. A pivoted clip member is used to hold the base flat and the two supporting members in the extended position to support the cup in the unfolded position when the receiver is in use. The receiver provided by Hurff, however, does not allow a smoker to place a cigarette or cigar on the receiver in a horizontal position. This may cause the lighted end of the cigarette or cigar to fall into the receiver and be extinguished. Furthermore, the receiver requires flexible strip members to serve as the hinge connecting the two sections of the base and a pivoted clip member to keep the whole assembly in position so that the receiver may be expensive to manufacture.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,430,720 Bowerman discloses a receptacle formed by a circular piece of paper with metal strips fastened in radial positions onto the paper. The metal strips are bent at points between the center and edge of the paper to form a dish with a circular base and a wall in a fluted shape. Before the receptacle disclosed by Bowerman can be used, however, the smoker or the operator of a public establishment will have to first bend the metal strips. The receptacle, therefore, appears to be inconvenient for smokers and requires extra labor for public establishment operators.
Still other foldable and disposable ashtrays have been proposed. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,317 Barron discloses a foldable ashtray made from a flat piece of material. To assemble the ashtray from the flat material, however, a complicated procedure is required.
Refuse and ash receivers in the form of pouches are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,432,656 to Cook; 3,372,724 to Rouse and in 3,561,670 to Segal. Such pouch type receivers, however, must be either supported by a book of matches such as in Cook or taped to a support surface such as the back of a chair as in Segal. Thus, none of the three types of pouch type receivers are self-supporting. They cannot be conveniently used on a flat level surface such as a table top without additional support. Furthermore, none of the three types of pouch receivers can be conveniently used to support a lighted cigarette in a horizontal position. While Cook discloses the use of key hole slot in the flap of an envelope for holding a lighted cigarette, the entire receiver can hold only one such cigarette. Furthermore, the cigarette cannot be conveniently retrieved from the key hole once it is inserted therein. Rouse discloses the use of a bendable tongue-like flap for closing the pouch type receiver.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,036 Harvey et al. disclose a disposable ashtray comprising an X-shaped permanent base supporting a replaceable liner. The liner has a central trough for storing ash and outwardly extending side flanges with recesses for supporting cigarettes in horizontal positions. The ashtray disclosed by Harvey et al., however, requires a non-disposable X-shaped permanent base which cannot apparently be conveniently carried in pockets or purses.
None of the ash and refuse receivers described above are entirely satisfactory. It is therefore desirable to provide an ashtray which is safe, convenient to use, carry and assemble and of simple and inexpensive construction.